Valley of the Dolls

[Wham Yubeesling]

So








So



So she had to see whether Chris was still alive. She had to see that Mary remained intact enough because she wanted to become art after she died. She had to move Mary to a place where nobody was going to mess her up after she died. She had to check up on Ozzy and Ivy and Mary’s parents, if she ever could. She had to kill Anthony, and… and… she had to sing a song. Say something funny. Guide Mary gently into whatever life came after this. She…

She couldn’t help Mary.

She couldn’t do first aid.

She couldn’t save her life, but…

But…

“Okay.”

She took a breath.

“I can do that.”

Tried to straighten up. Tried to do all the things her music teacher said made for better vocals, all those years ago. Tried to look Mary in the eyes.

“You’ve got… any preferences? For what… kind of song I sing?”

[KamiKaze]

Mary thought about all the songs she liked.

Of course, she grew up with Christian rock. But she long since moved past that, and… it may not be appropriate? Then, she went on to this indie electropop synthpop thing around middle school. She was later called out because, well, it wasn’t goth. So she tried to build up her various playlists with darkwave-y stuff. Gosh, she’ll never have more songs to listen to, won’t she? She’ll never be able to build up her playlist, find more songs, be more properly goth. Kinda funny, right?

“Um… do you know any dark wavey songs? Or… like… dunno. Not sure if we want something dance-worthy… but definitely not Christian rock methinks…”

She coughed up another laugh.

It really was the end, wasn’t it?

She wasn’t sure if she had the ability to cry anymore.

“It sucks, knowing I won’t hear any new songs… so, uh… maybe something I haven’t heard before… if you have ideas…”

Mary liked music. It helped drown out the world when things got too hectic, both outside and inside. Maybe that’s why she wanted to hear one more song before she died.

[Wham Yubeesling]

Okay.

Something… dark wave-y. Something… not dancey, not Christian Rock. Something that maybe Mary hadn’t heard before, given how Mary wasn’t ever going to get that opportunity again. Something that Verity wouldn’t fuck up. Something that she could sing, right here, and know for certain she’d get the notes right. Not flub it when she knew someone’s ending was on the line. That’d be something, wouldn’t it? A potential moment turned into a laughingstock because the girl singing the final lullaby couldn’t keep any sort of tune. At least in one way, Mary would be remembered forever, but… but there were better ways than that. There were better ways to do right by Mary than that.

So she took a second. Thought about a song. Thought about what she could recall that maybe fit the criteria. That maybe would serve a fitting coda for Mary.

Thought about asking. About their meeting at the bus stop, however long ago that’d been. Whether their… relationship with each other could’ve become something better had the two of them been given the chance.

…

…

Found her song. Shook her head. Straightened herself up again, before:

“Hey little train, we’re jumping off…

“The train that goes to the Kingdom…"

[KamiKaze]

Somewhere, on a stream, the audience watched.

They heard Verity sing “O Children” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They watched as the girl’s body, the one laying broken and damaged on the ground, slowly grew more and more limp with each passing second. They watched as her chest heaved, her body shook until it slowed in speed. There was a smile on her face, but it looked pained.

Then, she was still. Her eyes glazed over.

A minute passed.

Then, a notification on the screen came up. It was echoed in the chat by a bot.

Jewel’s Leviathan #03 Mary Cheung- ELIMINATED

Those watching had a variety of opinions.

Was this the Camwhore Curse finally catching up with her? She shouldn’t have been talking to the cameras so much. She should have followed Jewel’s advice a bit better. She’s an idiot. There were better people who could have lasted longer than her, but didn’t. She could have killed Seo-yun when she had the chance. She promised ‘not to be boring’, and yet, she was. She could have saved Leah. She could have killed Leo, and Anthony, and RJ, and Junji, and so many people, but didn’t. She could have been a better partner to Chris. She was pointless, and a stupid contestant, and anyone who was ever interested in her was only in for her looks. She wasn’t even that attractive, and she spent a lot of time feeling sorry for herself and engaging in obvious bids for audience attention.

Then, the commentary trickled out. There was still a fight up above, and the chat went back to talking about it. They then talked about how Luanne escaped, and how Seo-yun managed to get ten kills. They talked about Jewel. They talked about Anthony, her killer. They talked about their winner picks now that the field was narrowing down. They talked about what they expected the next season to be like.

A few people who came in late asked about the broken girl laying inside the hole, but quickly joined the current, interesting conversation. It was really just a footnote to everything else that had happened.

[Wham Yubeesling]

So Verity sang.

And she closed her eyes.

And she held Mary’s hand, until the very end. She felt it slowly grow limper and limper with each passing second. She felt her chest heave, her body shaking as it slowed in speed. She could feel the pained smile, on her face, visible in the air.

And she stayed there, holding Mary’s hand, as it all ended. As the last little bit of life left Mary’s body.

And she stayed there.

And she breathed.

And she breathed.

And, eventually, she stood up. Opened her eyes. Saw the corpse. Saw the room. Saw the fire still burning above. Saw debris still falling through the top into the pit below. Saw Mary’s body. The place where she died. The place that — for everyone here, for everyone that mattered — would be here final resting place. Here. Half-buried under a pit. Soon to be covered up and forgotten by all the everything that had happened, would happen above.

That wasn’t what Mary deserved. That wasn’t what anyone here deserved.

So Verity grabbed the corpse.

And they both started moving.

[Wham Yubeesling]

She took the corpse out of the bottom of the firepit.

And she dragged it out from the floor below the banquet hall.

She pulled it through the corridors. She didn’t stop. She kept going, and going, until eventually the floors and walls and ceiling gave way to railings and open sea. She hoisted the body up onto the railing. Got ready for one final push.

And then she thought about it for a second.

And then she shook her head. Pulled the body back with one tug. Shit. She’d nearly forgotten. That wasn’t what Mary wanted at all.

So she took a breath.

And she pulled the body back into the corridors. Brought it to the nearest door, pulled it open.

She took a step inside.

She took a step inside.

She took
































hi kermit

[Wham Yubeesling]

“Hey-”

She was on the floor. Mary laid right on top of her. Her collar poked into Verity’s stomach. Her flesh and bone were draped over Verity’s legs. It wasn’t really all that comfortable. Nothing was. Everything about this was so painful.

“I know you’re- still in there-”

She brought her hand up to Mary’s collar. Knocked against it with her knuckle.

“Dunno- who you are, but-”

She took a breath. Steeled herself. Made a push to get Mary off of her.

Couldn’t.

“I wanna-"

She took a breath.

"I wanna ask something-”

[MurderWeasel]

A female voice manifests from thin air, soft and amused.

"Alright then. Very well. Do what you want."

[Wham Yubeesling]

“You think-”

She gasped. Tried to get her body breathing again. Tried to think of what she actually wanted to ask. How many people asked you what it felt like to kill? How many people did you really think you were able to help, in the end?

“You think- me and Mary-”

So many questions.

“If we weren’t-”

So little time left.

“...here-”

She laid her head back. Saw the ceiling above fall out of focus.

“You think-”

Felt her vision swim further and further away by the second.

“We could’ve been different?”

[MurderWeasel]

The voice seems to hesitate for a moment.

"Things can always be different. Or, well—

[MurderWeasel]

"—that is to say, I reckon, personally, that God made His creations how He wants them to be, which is to say that where there's a will, there's a way, which is to say that it's no use thinking what could've been if He didn't want you here, because that's His will just as much as the gun's you're totin', God bless."

[Wham Yubeesling]

"Wait-"

[Wham Yubeesling]

(you're leaking)

[Wham Yubeesling]

"What's-"

[MurderWeasel]

"I say, girl, I say, are y'all daft—